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Access Type
WSU Access
Date of Award
January 2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
Social Work
First Advisor
Suzanne Brown
Abstract
Infants and young children who cannot reliably turn to their caregivers to reduce their feeling of threat or alarm are at heightened risk for developing an insecure attachment. It is well-established that maternal sensitivity is an important, though not sole, predictor of attachment insecurity. A parent’s history of current or past adversity can disrupt caregiving behavior. However, the mechanisms by which parental exposure to current or childhood adversity can negatively impact maternal caregiving, resulting in infant insecurity, are not fully understood. This study examined associations between three facets of parenting (representation, reflectivity, and disrupted caregiving behavior) within the social context (income and race) in a sample of women with a history of childhood and current adversity. It further tested if those aspects of parenting and context predict infant/toddler security above the contribution of maternal sensitivity. The study also explored whether receiving dyadic treatment through the Michigan Model of Infant Mental Health Home Visiting moderated any associations. The results confirm the importance of examining and addressing the influence of poverty and its potential to disrupt parental reflectivity and infant/toddler security. In the case of mothers with non-balanced representations, early intervention – prenatally through the child’s first two years – is essential to support the developing parent/infant relationship. A novel contribution includes using two brief measures of maternal behavior and infant security, which community practitioners can be trained to use.
Recommended Citation
Ribaudo, Julie, "Parenting In The Shadow Of Adversity: The Impact Of Maternal Representation, Reflectivity, And Disrupted Caregiving Behavior On Infant Attachment Security" (2024). Wayne State University Dissertations. 3978.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/3978
